


Wednesdays

by the-canary (siruru)



Category: The Bronze (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Ballet, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Graduate School, Post-Canon, Power Dynamics, Reader-Insert, Sexual Humor, Sharing a Room, Slow Burn, Starbucks, Strangers to Lovers, Travel, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Workplace, lance tucker is a jerk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-08-07 04:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16401605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siruru/pseuds/the-canary
Summary: Only you had the balls to deal with his outrageous order on that day. You just didn’t know how bad it would get.





	1. the start.

**Author's Note:**

> This is silly but I’ve been thinking about for awhile and now that I’ve completed my oneshot (like I promised @starfisharchives ) I am gonna move forward with giving this a test run. I’ve never written for Lance before, but he seem to fit the idea the most. 
> 
> Shout out to @stanclub since her writing challenge gave birth to this idea.

_ Wednesday _ . Wednesday had been cheat day for Lance Tucker for quite awhile now. 

He went two blocks down from his gym during lunch and got something small to drink. Lance used to stay in his office and on-call for his students through lunch, making sure everything was ready and set up between his coaches and the other two gyms that he had across the country – in Tallahassee and Houston– but he had been put on high alert when some of the kids were taking in more calories than usual.

Lance started coming in to see what the kids ordered, it was extreme but some of them had real Olympic potential. 

It helped that the barista during that shift was pretty cute – brightly colored hair, a cute smile, and a big rack. 

He had so close to “asking” her out the last time, only to have one of the girls call him –giggles and teenage smiles– asking how he had won his Gold back in the Olympic Games and Lance would do anything to relive his 15 minutes of fame in a more positive way since the scandal with Townsend a few years back. 

Except Lance wasn’t getting the gold this time, as he walks into the Starbucks as the clock struck 12:20 pm on his Apple Watch, which also counted his steps, and blue eyes look up to see a very different person from who he is used to. 

To say that you were ready for the lunch time rush that usually came at noon would be a lie, something that Micah had laughed at you from her corner of the the station floor. While, she with her bright smile and pixie, dye hair could welcome customers easily, you could wipe up the drinks pretty fast. However, only so much could be done between the both of you and an angry mass of people waiting for the coffee and lunch – especially since Serena quit. 

This wasn’t even your normal work day, you were picking up her times for some extra cash. Being a broke graduate student meant you picked up whatever you could with your part time jobs. 

The crowd was starting to die down when a man comes in the loudest clothing you had ever seen – red tracksuit with a tight white under shirt, slick back hair and sunglasses. It honestly looked like he was trying to hard, he didn’t spare you a 2nd glance from where all the machines were located and went straight to Micah at the cash register. 

“Same as always?” she questions in her overly cheery bubblegum voice, as you wait for the order. 

“Yeah,” is all he says as she rings him up and he moves to the side near the back of the store where all the large windows are placed and a whole table is bolted around the area. He sits down and simply takes out his phone. 

Micah tells you the order, “Coffee Mini Cappuccino with Whole Milk.” 

You can’t help but quirk an eyebrow at the strange order and the usage of the 120-calorie cup that was in the back most of the time. This guy had to be some type of health nut, but you just shrugged it off and proceed to make the drink. 

“ _ Lance _ ,” you yell out, “Coffee Mini Cappuccino with Whole Milk.”

The man comes up from his seat and looks at you for a moment, blue eyes narrowing at the sight of you and it makes you feel a little bit offended. However, you are a professional and keep a polite smile on your face.

“Where’s Serena?” he asks, finally taking you into notice. 

“Quit,” you explain vaguely as blue eyes narrow, before taking his drink and you have to briefly wonder if this is the guy Serena talked about during your shared Friday night shift – the guy that would harass her every Wednesday. 

He looked sleazy enough to do it. 

“This better–” he starts off.

“Take a taste,” you cut in as he frowns, “If not I can always make you a new one,  _ sir _ .”

Lance doesn’t say anything, as he takes a small sip. You drum your fingers on the countertop for a moment as he stands there. He proceeds to down it in one gulp and turns around to leave the shop – his silence the only victory you need for the day. 

“Have a nice day!” you yell out in mocking joy, as you are sure that Micah is shaking her head behind you. You’re lucky as hell that you are the shift leader for today if not that shit wouldn’t fly, as you laugh just a bit at bringing this stranger’s ego down just a bit – he had set your douchebag radar on high. 

You kept going with the rest of your day from then on, completely unaware that your annoyance had locked you into Lance Tucker’s eye – because damn did you make a good ass cappuccino compared to what Serena could give him.  

You kept going with the rest of your day from then on, completely unaware that your annoyance had locked you into Lance Tucker’s radar – because damn did you make a good ass cappuccino compared to what Serena could give him.  


	2. the proposal and tea.

“The old man isn’t serious, right?” Madison asks in disbelief, as she goes from looking at the proposal sitting on her large desk to the man sitting across from her. The blond shrugs, unsure of what to say either. 

“He really thinks the kid has turned a new leaf,” George explains, as he simply repeats what the old man --the owner and lead partner in the company-- had told him a day before, “Stan did always have a soft spot for him.”

“I know that, but really after the leaked tape, after the whole pregnancy incident,” Madison could go on with the list of notorious scandals that their poor P.R department had gone through hell over in the name of Lance Tucker, because as much as his name had been worth once -- it had been dragged to the mud too many times before until they had to cut times with him a few years ago. 

It didn’t help that the whole gymnastics world was still shaking in the aftermath of several other scandals as well. However, Stan had always managed to see the good in people and was often ahead of the curve in  things that would be popular ahead of time. 

“He seems to have turned a new leaf,” George keeps playing devil’s advocate like a broken record, much to her annoyance, “Steady business in a couple of states, plus no recent troubles with the media or any new baby mama.”

“Why would he need us then?” Madison can’t help but ask, as George smiles just a bit -- he knows he is close to trapping her if she’s that curious. 

“To show off his new talent, those kids in his schools,” he explains as Madison nods, “He knows well enough how this type of world works. One good win or one tape that goes viral and everyone is gonna want a piece of that kid and their coach. A sad way to relieve his own 15 minutes of fame.”

“That’s kind of pathetic, no?” she responds as George shrugs once more with a chuckle at how she could change her opinion so quickly. 

“Why should it matter to us? We’re getting paid for it,” he states leaning a bit more into his seat, “And your little prodigy could use some real world experience. Why not with grade A douchebag like Lance Tucker?” 

“I wouldn’t want to let her suffer through all that, but you do have a point.” 

“Always do.”

* * *

 

Aside from Mondays, Wednesday slowly becomes your least favorite day of the week after the shift change. Instead of sleeping in like your normally would have done once, you end up walking up near 9am to make you get into work just in time for your shift to start. It leads into the early evening, where you grab a bite to eat before heading to your evening class on the other side of town. A three hour class, the never ending traffic followed by readings and work prep for your other part time job means you didn’t go to sleep until around 1am. 

It was a difficult sort of thing, but getting your Masters was the goal and it was something you were not going to give up, as you hold back a yawn --the lunchtime rush had been slower than usual-- as the clock strikes 12:20pm. It was only your second week taking Serena’s shift but you knew what was coming through that door at any moment. 

You hear the door like clockwork as you are working a dirty chai, only to notice bright red blinding your vision as the sunlight hits it in just the right way. Tracksuit douchebag. 

“Unsweetened  Pineapple Kona Pop Brewed Tea,” you look at Micah with a frown, as she justs shrugs. Both of you knew he might pull the shit he did last week, but there was nothing you could really do about as you went about making the drink. You didn’t know if the man had weird tastes or if he was just trying to prove some type of strange point -- you weren’t his preferred barista. 

“Grande Chai with a Shot of Espresso for Meghan,” you yell out as the petite dark-haired college student, a frequent customer, grabbed her drink and headed back to her table, “Grande  Unsweetened  Pineapple Kona Pop Brewed Tea for Lance.”  

He gets up from his own table, none of his students were in the store today preferring to check out the Jamba Juice down the street, as he grabs the cup and the straw. You try your best to smile, but by the twitch of his perfect eyebrows --like with the Strawberry Banana smoothie last week-- something was wrong with it. 

You know what comes next, as he states: “It taste like is had sugar, remake it again.” 

“Yes, right away,” you sign out through clench teeth, as he simply smirks because you’re the one that is going to get in trouble is you fight with a customer, especially with an actual manager in the back today. 

You remake it once, twice before he seems to be satisfied. He calls out to Micah for her to have a good day and leaves the Starbucks without another word as you proceed to work on another order, though angrier than before. 

“Fucking jerkface,” you can’t help but mumble to yourself as  Micah laughs. 

“Do you even know who that is?”  Micah scoffs good naturedly at you lack of celebrity knowledge, but unlike her you barely knew how to work the video on Instgram, much less even knew what Snapchat was, “The guy you have been giving the stink eye for the past three weeks.” 

“ _ Nope _ ,” you pop the the last syllable in the end in annoyance. 

“Lance Tucker,” she states with a hand on her hip, as you don’t seem to connect that name with anything of the top of your head,  “Gold and Silver medalist. The god of gymnastics.” 

“People who watch the Olympics obviously have too much free time,” you can’t help but remark as you throw the returned tea into the trash can and sigh.   Micah  frowns as if you have offended her in some way, but unlike her a celebrity from a few years ago didn’t really grab your interest. She doesn’t say anything else due to a new customer coming in.  

The sour mood this has put you in doesn’t leave you for the rest of the day, as your shift ends and instead of getting your usual protein box and favorite beverage you go down the street two more blocks and grab a wrap and iced tea from that organic food diner.

The thought of the diner, then looking at the Jamba Juice that is one the right and the Macchiato further down than that made you pause, as the asshole popped into your head for the second time today. 

Why if there were so many healthy options near the area did he fucking decide to go to Starbucks?

_ How stupid was he?    _

* * *

 

It’s 3pm when Lance is able to take a small break just before his after school kids come in for practice. He had been running on a fewer hours of sleep today since his renewed proposal between himself and his old agency was being looked though. It wasn’t like Lance himself needed the publicity, but some of his kids --especially one girl in Houston-- was grabbing the attention for the USA team and he was slightly protective of her. 

No, not in that Maggie Townsend way from a few years back, which had ended up destroying most of his career, but in an older brother or even father figure sort of way, especially when he knew Katherine’s mother wasn’t the most easiest of people to deal with. 

So, he waited for a call or email back from them all day. They had said by noon and when nothing had transpired, he had been freaking out on his way to the Starbucks. He was craving sugar, but he knew it wasn’t the best option for now, even on his cheat day. 

And while he might not have had the best attitude, Lance was grateful towards that damn annoying barista for giving him some of the high quality stuff, even when he knew it didn’t have any sugar in it. He was just being an asshole about, but the customer was always, right no?

He was downing the last bit of his tea when his phone rings -- a new email. Lance jumps from his ergonomically correct chair and quickly taps in his passcode. The email is from a Madison Castro. 

> _ Mr. Tucker,  _
> 
> _ We have reviewed your initial proposal and would like to set up a meeting with you in regards to the PR team you would be working with and the contract specifications.  _
> 
> _ Please answer back with your earliest availability possible.   _
> 
> _ Thank you, _
> 
> _ Madison Castro. _
> 
> _ Senior Vice-President _
> 
> _ Lee and Assoc.  _

Lance can’t help but get up and scream in excitement, promising himself that he needs another drink next Wednesday, as the old school hip-hop starts blaring in his small office. 


	3. contracts and dancing.

Thursdays are easily your favorite day of the week. It’s a day that you spend the whole day at your second job and a yelling group of excited young girls are easier to handle than angry, smug customers. Ballet had always been a big part of your life and you probably would have made a career out of it, but there were too many obstacles at hand as you grew and for a long time, something you loved was something that you despised because of a certain set of ideals and images that came with the “perfect ballerina.” It was only after your old teacher, Mrs. Carlton, contacted you that the old dance studio was closing that you came to somewhat decent terms with everything that had happened – eventually, you helped in keeping it open and became a part time staff member. 

“Miss, Miss,” some of the girls run to you in utter happiness to see you. Your class of ten girls circle around you, asking you a series of questions and telling you about their week as you try to keep up with all of them – that’s when you see it, or them to be exact.

A dark-haired women in jeans and brown jacket holding the hand of a little girl wearing her own hair in pigtails with fluffy hair ties. She is wearing a black leotard like the other students, but with the puffiest and brightest pink tutu you have seen in awhile. You motion for the girls to start their warm-ups before going to meet your newest student.

“Hi,” you nod towards the woman returns it, before you leaning in a little to match the young girl’s height, “And why are you here today?”

“Dancing!” the girl declares as she lets go of her mother’s –you assume– hand, her shy attitude quickly fades into excitement, “My uncle says I’ll be the best.”

“Well then, we better get started!”

“Yeah!” 

The little girl, whose name you come to learn is Claire, is an easily excited student, though she still has a long way to go.  

* * *

_“We will move forward with your proposal. These are all members of the team that you will have at your disposal,  though there will be off site assistants that you don’t need to be bothered by. “_

Lance Tucker is over the moon after his meeting with the public relations team of his old agency and while he knows they are still cautious and through the contract he signed he knows they will be keeping him in a tight leash when it comes to certain things – Katherine and his others students will have an easy connection to professional photo shoots and other social media that they might need should they make it big. With that and him by their side, they would be sure to have a better start than he did.

He heads back to his gym in higher spirits than he had left his apartment this morning and truly believes that he should get a little treat after all, thus he heads to his local Starbucks with a grin on his face. Blue eyes glance up to see a familiar colorful haired Micah and someone else, but her presence doesn’t seem to bother him as much as it had done the previous three weeks. You, and the tiny annoyance he felt because of Serena, which was waning each day, were insignificant today.

“What can I do for you today?” Micah smiles, as Lance remembers the other drink on his list to try out.

“Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte with Stevia,” he states, as she rings it up with a smile.

Lance heads to his usual place in the back where the wood table meets the glass window, as you watch him from your place behind the coffee machines and proceed to make his drink. The movement today a bit slower than usual, which allowed you to spend a little more time on the drink – you would show him today, though you couldn’t help but wonder where he got all his orders from since people were usually constant with what they drank. Lance Tucker was a strange man, if you really thought about it.  

“Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte with Stevia for Lance,” you yell out as the man, not really paying attention to you, as he comes over to your side of the counter and takes a sips. You tense up, wondering what he is going to think about it this time, but instead you are left gapping in surprise.

“Good latte, thanks,” it’s all he says before turning around and leaving the building. In the meanwhile, you are momentarily stunned with how exactly handsome the man could look with his bright blue eyes and pearly white teeth when he didn’t look like an utter douchebag. It’s a surprising and very scary thought, as you turn around to look at Micah.

“Did you _fucking_ see that?” you exclaim, as Micah laughs.

It felt like a miracle and you had a skip to your step for the rest of your shift.

* * *

It’s another Wednesday down the drain, as your class session finishes for the night and you’re ready to head back your apartment, hopefully to eat some leftovers while trying to make sense of your notes while rewriting them – it just helped to keep the stuff fresh in your mind. However, instead of immediately leaving the classroom like you always do – the teacher stops you.

“Have you thought about what I told you about?” Professor Castro asks, as she smiles.

You see, Professor Castro worked with a public relations firm and on occasion had used real job assignments as homework. She made sure students were compensated for their time and some, you had heard, had even went on to work with her after graduation. You had caught her attention since you had started the program a year ago and while you help with some assignments here and there, you weren’t completely sure if this was something that you wanted to get into – you had entered the business program for a different reason all together.

“I have been thinking about it,” you shrug, “But, I don’t think it might be my thing.”

“Just take this one assignment,” she pushes you a bit more while placing a folder on top of your books, “You have a real talent for campaigns  and reading into what people want.”

Yeah, it’s called customer service, you can’t help but think sarcastically, as you nod and say you’ll look over their profile once more.

However, you don’t do so until Friday, in the morning when you finally have the chance to take a breather between working and studying, as you lay down on your bed and rummage through the folder…and that’s when you see it.

**Tucker Gymnastics.**

You didn’t really know if this was potentially a blessing or a curse.  


	4. work, work, work.

It’s two weeks since a certain Claire started her ballet lessons and while she was just beginning, her teacher was telling that she was a quick learner and quickly catching up with her other students. It made her a little proud of herself and she needed to tell her uncle all about it. Norma looked at her daughter starting outside of the window every couple of minutes, the need for punctuality and perfection seemed to run deep in their family. 

“Uncle!” the young girl yells, as she sees the familiar red convertible making its way into the parking area. Norma tells her daughter to wait before she goes off running like she usually does. The girl pouts but waits for her uncle to make his way to the building, though she is bouncing in excitement to see her favorite person in the world, as she had declared more than once.

“What do you plan on telling your uncle, anyways?” Norma give her daughter a smile, as Claire’s blue eyes sparkle. 

“How I’m getting better,” she smiles with her chubby cheeks stretching as a result, “And how pretty my teacher is too!” 

Norma can’t help but shake her head at the thought of Claire that might be trying to set up her younger brother once more

“Where’s my favorite munchkin?” a voice declares from behind her, as Claire giggles, gets up, and proceeds to jump into her uncle’s arms. 

Blue eyes clashing with familiar blue, as everything is a bit more settled down for the small brood for now.

* * *

 

_ You will only be connected  through Mr. Tucker through a company email. Here is a list of his demands and what he wants from the social media sites, aside from the press releases we will be doing at a later time. Please look over the documents and feel free to make edits.  _

“This sounds so boring,” you murmur to yourself while looking at the documents that came attached with the email. After doing your research and learning more about one Lance Tucker, former Olympic gold and silver medalist plus walking scandal-in-the-making, you were expecting a bit more from him -- maybe, something more creative. But, this..this was all--

“This isn’t going to attract any attention,” you huff out an annoyed breath of air, while rolling in your chair from side to side for a moment. Yes, there good things in seeing daily trainings and occasional pictures of the athletes, but if there wasn’t an personality or emotional connection for the person, then it was just something you could scroll over. 

It was one of the reasons why you understood that the Hope Ann Gregory story resonated so much with people -- the struggle of a small town kid who had made all the way to the Olympics only to keep fighting until the very end, even if she only got the bronze -- it was national headline worthy. Lance Tucker was a boy with a silver spoon in his mouth, who got the gold and silver without much of a struggle. 

_ The God of Gymnastics _ , until just like Zeus his limbo threw him from grace and not many were sympathetic, what with his general shitty attitude but oh so good looks (did you really just say think that?) making him somewhat unlikeable because someone like him could always get back up and start all over again -- like you sure he was doing now, though you could tell he was playing it safe with all his documentation. Though, it wasn’t going to do what he was aiming for and that failure placed itself on your lap to fix. 

And, really -- you needed to a miracle to work with all this.    

* * *

 

It’s another boring Wednesday when you finally see the nightmare that has been haunting your part time job since you received that email the week before -- not that Lance Tucker knew that. He gives off a new strange order for Micah to hand over to you, as you can’t help but wonder why the hell he keeps changing his order every time he comes in. What was the motivation behind the constant change? 

It’s in that moment that you freeze, as an idea pops into your head.  

> **@TuckerGym:** _ WHAT DOES LANCE TUCKER ORDER @STARBUCKS!? _

You make the drink before taking out the temporary company phone that you had been given and take a quick snap of the odd drink. Micah is giving you a curious look as you motion her to stay quiet. She understands the message, though you doubt that she will let you leave without you giving her some type of information.

“Lance,” you yell out giddier than ever, quickly catching the man’s attention, “Mini Red Eye for Lance!” 

Said man turns around in confusion over how joyful you can be in declaring one order, but doesn’t say anything on the matter as he stands across from you and takes a sip. There is no hint of bitterness in his nod, as he waves goodbye to the both of you for once. You wave back with the biggest smile that you can muster, which causes him to pause for a moment before letting go of the door. 

“ _ What the hell was that about _ ?” Micah can’t help but ask, as you shake just a little bit to the song that is now playing and laugh -- not caring that some of the customers might look at you a little weird. 

“That was the answer to all my prayers,” you nod, but before she can ask anything else a new customer is already waiting in front of the cash register.

* * *

 

It’s Friday when he first sees it, some of the girls are looking at their phones during break. Their whispers and giggles attract his attention, it also doesn’t help that they keep looking at him in quick glances before going back to their phones. He tries not to let him bother him, but any distraction is something that he has to investigate as much as a hardass as he needs to be for these girls and their potential Olympic dreams. 

“Hey,” he starts, standing in front of them, hands on his hips, “what are you girls looking at?” 

“The gym’s twitter page,” one of the youngers girls explains, showing Lance their phone and a pinned sets of tweets that were all related to him.

> **@TuckerGym:** _ TUCK’S ADVENTURES AROUND TOWN. _

It wasn’t very prolific but there were some really hilarious pictures of him walking around the streets near the gym -- most notably a gif of him dancing with his earphones on. And let’s just say, dancing wasn’t one of Lance’s better traits, especially with all the laughing emojis that seemed to be placed underneath the original post.

You had to catch the post at the right time too, if not it was lost to the other posts that Lance knew that were connected to the social media he had stated to be focus in his proposal -- but, this --- this was a complete invasion of privacy. 

“You’re really popular, Coach,” Katherine --his current star pupil-- laughs, but quickly stops at flash of anger in his face, “It’s only been getting the gym more followers since it started. You might even become a meme.”

“Meme?” Lance states confused at the word for a moment and while he knew what they were, he wasn’t going to give them that satisfaction, “When did these start anyways?” 

“Last Wednesday, I think,” Katherine answers, waiting for his response but Lance says nothing more on the subject. He moves and told them that break time is over.  

Lance heads back his groan back until he got back to his office, ready to email a certain social media associate that the PR people told him would be running everything in that aspect. 

“God, I hate Wednesdays.” 


	5. a clash of ideals and a truce here and there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i left you hanging last year, but here we go!

It’s two weeks of exchanging emails between Madison and himself that has Lance going insane. He isn’t one that should be making demands, she had sent back that message herself but this was his privacy they were talking about -- something that he had coveted now that his days in the spotlight were over and done with -- this wasn’t for him, it was for his girls and he needs to make sure that whoever was running the account knew that. 

Years ago, a younger him would have yelled at whoever until what he wanted got done, but that wasn’t an option now when he had no leverage against some punk who hid behind all those social media accounts. That old rage of his burned at the thought of whoever was following him laughing at his antics and the little things he did when he was alone. However, Lance had to bid his time, wait until Madison gave him this mysterious person.

_ They agree to a meeting with you on Tuesday at 3pm in your gym. _

A threat of  _ please don’t hurt them _ at the end of her message, but that annoyance festers within Lance for the rest of the week -- until he meets them and he knows he is going to give them a piece of his mind when he does.  

* * *

 

Here’s the thing though, of all the people to be thrown into the lion’s den waiting in his gym, Lance doesn’t expect to see his least favorite barista standing near the entrance on Tuesday afternoon talking to some of his students like you had known them all their lives. You’re dressed sharply in a dark business suit, but with a blouse that pops with the right amount of color against the gray backdrop of the gym. It’s a complete 180 from how he was used to seeing you and Lance has to stop himself from staring too long at the red color on your lips, as he makes his way over to you.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lance can’t help but ask in indignation, but deep down he knows who you are and what you are here for. 

The girls are watching from the sidelines, as you take out a little white card from your bag and hand it to him. 

You state your name with a bright smile, as Lance wants to groan in annoyance: “--Part time Social Media Coordinator for Lee and Associates.”

Blue eyes met yours as you place the card in front of him and it’s then that Lance knows that this isn’t going to go the way he pictured it.

* * *

 

The sorry and smile you give him are tepid at best, a small trick to sedated whatever anger he may be feeling at the current moment. If it had been someone else, he probably would have believed them, but the roll of your eyes --something he saw often when he interacted with you at the Starbucks-- and the wave of your hand causes him to seethe for a moment, as you sit across from him without a care in the world after you had placed a clear folder in front of his desk.  However, it was a truce in its own way and as much as you needed Lance for work, he needed you and the company behind you for the coverage. He couldn’t go back to looking for another public relations company, most wouldn’t have him. 

So, he lets bygones be bygones for now. He’ll certainly have time to make your life a living hell later on, he thinks with a smile as he leans into his ergonomically correct chair.  

“Look Lance,” you start after a moment of silence, as blue eyes watch you like a hawk, “I’ll admit that maybe I went about this the wrong way, but people don’t follow you of all people for good,  _ wholesome _ content, though that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to give to them either.”

Lance stays quiet, knowing fully well after all the scandals, the near failures, and losses it hurt to hear someone else say that -- but, he knew that he had come out stronger for all of it in the end. 

“You putting yourself out there grabs people’s attention, but those girls are the ones making them stay. Or haven’t you seen most of the commentary?” you keep going on, trying to explain your side with logic and Lance knows that some of your words ring true. 

“So prove to people that those girls and maybe even you are more than some old media headline,” you state, getting just bit more heated towards the end of your speech, though he thinks that it is probably more about the girls than his own personal life. You finish with a little huff of breathe, as Lance simply crosses his arms over his chest. 

The revised media proposal is starting at him from the center of his desk as blue eyes glance up to meet yours. It was a lot to think about, but the question was if he was willing to go that far once again for his students and school, though well within reason -- it’s not like he had a Twitter anymore nor did he upload onto Instagram everyday like he had done once. 

“You sure do know what you’re talking about,” Lance quips as you give him a small smile, completely unlike the usual looks you throw his way. 

“I wear a lot of hats,” you explain vaguely, “And I do my research, comes with the whole trying to get my master’s in this sort of thing.” 

“I see,” is all he manages to say before he takes the folder and gives it a cursory glance. 

Your meeting ends in silence and the promise that he’ll look over the details, the complete opposite of what Madison had told you might happened because that’s simply how the old Lance Tucker worked. And as you head back home, you think that she might be right on somethings --you had seen it plainly enough outside of this job, but the need for privacy was something you could understand and maybe all those years had changed him for the better -- at least somewhat.

* * *

 

Lance Tucker doesn’t come into your familiar Starbucks --to make your life a little bit more annoying-- at his scheduled time and at Micah’s subtle worry, you can’t help but wonder if maybe you pushed him too far.

Though with a shake of your head, you remove yourself from worrying about someone like him.

* * *

 

“So, what do you think?” Lance asks the man sitting in front of him in the family kitchen. 

Richard takes off his glasses as Norma watches them from the living room for a brief second, Claire pouting on the carpeted floor since she can’t play with her favorite uncle just yet. 

“This is pretty solid, Lance,” his brother-in-law says almost in awe to the detailing and work put into the documentation he just read, “They are giving you a lot of power and even detailing their schedule for you. It’s extremely professional, and you usually don’t hire professional.”

Lance frowns at the compliment that Richard off-handley gives you, but even he has to admit that it’s the truth. However, that thought soon passes as Claire declares that he should see her newest dance moves.

* * *

 

Another Wednesday passes and you still haven’t heard from Lance yet, but you haven’t gotten fired yet so you can only wonder what he is thinking and what he is going to do with all the information you have given him. For someone who wanted notoriety once more, he sure was stubborn.

The lunch time rush hour comes and passes, as you stand in the back taking inventory for the day when you hear Micah’s voice echoing for you to come back.

“Pink Drink!” she declares with a sing-song sort of voice, the name at the end of the order causes you to lurch in surprise just for a moment, but you move past it and proceed to make the drink.

“Pink Drink! Pink Drink for Lance!” you declare as said man gets up from his usual place and gets his drink. He pauses for a moment, blue eyes meeting yours as he cocks an eyebrow as if waiting for something -- that’s when you finally get it.

> **@TuckerGym:** _ PINK DRINK! PINK DRINK FOR LANCE! _

“Thanks,” is all he says after the picture is taken, as you stand there for a moment with a smile on your face and you put the phone back in your pocket. 

And for now, it seems like everything was going to be smooth sailing. 

Oh, if you could only see the smile blooming on Micah’s face -- like she knew something you (the both of you) didn’t.  


	6. the start of an even bigger disaster.

 “Is this good?” a voice asks, as Lance watches his girls train on the bars. 

“Yes, thank you,” a higher voice giggles as Lance is sure you are smiling at the young girl before she goes to train her routine.

Two months. It had taken Lance two months of annoyance --over what you put out on social media and how you just  _ connected  _ with most of his students-- to get used to having you around the gym. You took pictures and video and edited it all before uploading to all Tucker Gymnastics social media. Katherine, as the prelims were getting closer, was getting more attention and you were even thinking about a Q&A at some point. 

“Faster, keep your gravity at the center,” he yells out as Katherine drops with a frown at how she ended her routine, it was good that you weren’t taking any footage of it at the moment -- something you had agreed on doing when Lance instructed. No, instead you were talking to one of the younger gym teachers that was instructing some of the younger girls on the other side of the gym.  

Blue eyes watch as you laugh at something before making some hand motion that the teacher nods to. Lance had also been surprised that you knew so much about gymnastics, though not about him exactly. He was coming to realize that you knew a lot of things, but there was a lot of things you kept private as well, though he picked up on things here and there. 

You volunteered to teach during your free time. You were studying for your Master’s with this job being a big part of your grade and potential hiring opportunities, and you picked up shift at the Starbucks every so often. For someone who always seemed to have a tired look on your face when he showed up, Lance sort of understood why now and if he looked up to you just a little -- well, he was never going to tell you to your face. 

“Coach! Coach!” Katherine’s voice rings in annoyance as it breaks Lance’s current train of thought, “Could you look at the routine instead of making goggly eyes at your crush.” 

Lance frowns before yelling at her to get her ass back on the beam, a shake of his head getting rid of all other opposing thoughts, though he can’t help but wonder just what the hell you were laughing at and why the hell it was so goddamn irritating.

* * *

 

> **@TuckerGym:** _ 3 more weeks until prelims! We’re all fired up. _

You let out a tired sigh, but smile nonetheless at the sight of Katherine and knowing that the post went through on time, since sometimes the app tended to act a little weird. You put your phone back in your bag as all the girls begin to filter in, though you had to hold back a yawn. And while you were used to working at odd hours and grinding through everything that was thrown at you since high school and then college, this was starting to feel like too much -- maybe cause you were getting older now?  

It also didn’t help that sometimes, Lance liked to bother you in the middle of the night with some “cool idea” he had for you -- not all of them would win him the gold. Though it was sweet to see how hard he worked for all his students whether it was for the competition or just for fun, and through it all you could understand why Lance was vigilant in protecting them in his own way. He had started off young as well and without the proper help, he spiraled down scandal after scandal until he was looked at like a disgrace -- how he was able to pull himself up at the end was admirable. 

“Miss, Miss,” a certain blue-eyed girl rips you away from your thoughts, “The class is ready!” 

“Ah, thank you, Claire,” you huff out with a small breathe as she gives you a toothy grin. She is a couple of paces ahead of you when she decides to ask:

“Who were you thinking about? Your boyfriend?” 

You chuckle at her question, knowing fully well what she was trying to do -- she didn’t hide it very well: “No, just my other job.”

All she can do is giggle as she runs back to her place, as you can’t help but wonder for a brief second what exactly she might be scheming.

* * *

 

However, even with the closeness that comes with getting to know the other just a bit more, the annoyance that comes with Lance and his Starbucks orders is always there like clockwork. There are some weeks were he orders something simple and easy to make, though there are others were he gets the most complicated thing in the name of it “being sugar free” -- those were usually the ones that you ended up remaking more than once. 

Today was neither one of those days, as you and Micah watch a frantic Lance come in and go straight to you instead of the cash register. 

“We need to talk,” he declares and for a moment you are confused, as you look at Micah who simply nods and allows you your 15-minute break for now. You move to the other side of the counter to exit the area, as said nervous man runs a frustrated hand through his hair a couple of time until you move to the table he is used to sitting down on while waiting for his order. 

“What’s up, Tuck?” you ask without a care in the world and surely not afraid that he seems a little angrier than usual, as he curses under his breath -- you weren’t one of his students or flozies to be feeling that way. 

“The gal that does our video work,” Lance sighs out, “Quit on me this morning.” 

You knew who he was talking about, though you didn’t know how that was your problem. Said woman “traveled” with Lance and the girls to archive their routines and wins for the gym and sometimes you used her videos for social media posts, though you relied more on what you got from your weekends at the gym to give it a more personal and authentic feel. Though from what the girls had told you as well, Lance and her had slept together more than once while on the road -- not that it bothered you in anyway. 

It only made you wonder for a brief second exactly why she had left, before Lance kept talking. 

“You’re the only one I know that can do this on short notice,” he explains, as you groan. And while yes, you could do some of the stuff this gal did --it came with your degree-- you simply couldn’t uproot all the other things and work that were counting on you. You glance at the ground below, trying to ignore Lance’s gaze as he seems to catch on. 

“I---”

“I’ll trip triple your pay,” Lance declares as you look at him with wide eyes, “ _ Please.”  _

You keep looking at him for a moment, as you wonder how many people he had gone through and asked for you to be the last possibility. You knew that Lance had numerous connections that he could turn to, but there were also bridges that he had burned down in his youth and those that simply didn’t want to be associated with him -- Gymnastics had taken such a hard hit over the past few years and people were doing whatever they could to play it safe, and even if Lance Tucker had won the gold -- it still didn’t help that he had such a sketchy past. 

However, this wasn’t about him -- not completely. 

“For the girls,” you state softly, as he looks at you mesmerized for a moment, “I’ll see what I can do.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he states as if in a daze, unsure that you were really going to move this much for him -- or for the girls to be exact. He gives you one last nod before leaving, as you stand there for a second before moving back to the counter. 

“What was that about?” Micah can’t help but ask as you turn to go into the back area, ready to do inventory and forget about all that just happened. You shrug, and that’s the only answer she gets.

You can’t really response to that question since you aren’t even sure what you had tentatively agreed to, though you know that nothing good might come out of it. 

 


	7. a mix of personal and professional.

It takes you a week and a half to have everything settled. You talk with your professors and they give you a pass or more work to do on the side. Madison smiles and tells you to do a good job, you are representing her brand of course. One of the other teachers at the ballet school will cover you for the weekend that you are gone, much to your students’ annoyance. Micah and some of the other baristas agree to pick up your shifts. 

It’s difficult and it’s annoying, and you know that Lance Tucker would never appreciate all that you are willing to go through because of his one fucking ask, but the girls’ smiles when they see you walking towards them in the early hours of that Wednesday morning make it all worth it -- then they proceed to hound you about everything while complaining that it's too early and the ride with Tucker was hell.

Lance doesn’t seem to be doing any better, running on protein bars and there is an irritation in his eyes that you have never seen before -- quite different from the one that you usually are able to draw out of him. He doesn’t look at you, but the flight delay doesn’t help when you see him coming close to killing the poor flight attendant when they make the announcement.

“Hey,” you call out to him, as he almost punches one of the pillars, “Have you had any coffee or anything  **real** to eat since last night?”   

“Are you a _fucking_ Starbucks advertisement?” Lance growls out in indignation, as blue eyes met your own but you just shrug it off. You knew that even now Lance kept his physique in top shape, but you knew from your own personal experience that it wasn’t the best, so you grab his shoulder softly.

“Look, I’m gonna get some breakfast...maybe buy something for the girls,” you explain calmly and clearly ignoring his temper tantrum, “Do you want anything  _ or not _ ?” 

“Decaf,” he states as you give him a cheeky grin, “Maybe a sandwich.” 

“Got it,” you smile and pat his shoulder, “And don’t worry so much. It’s bad for your blood pressure,  _ champ _ .”

You laugh and turn around before calling out to the girls on who wants to get something to eat with you. You don’t ever see that Lance’s eyes were on you the entire time as you move away from him. The place where you had touched him scorching like he had never felt before.

* * *

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _ Fucked _ .

Lance knew he was fucked the moment Sally --his previous video girl-- threw him out for yelling another name when they were together.  _ Your name _ , to be exact. 

He hadn’t slept with anyone in the past three weeks as a result, as he tried to realize what the hell was going on in his head as it keep going back to you. Utterly annoying you who smiled liked you didn’t give a damn in the world, who worked so hard doing all your things without a care for what anyone else thought, but who made his girls laugh and could put them in order when need be -- who looked down on him and just seemed to move forward and face him head on without a care for the consequences.

Maybe, Lance Tucker was turning into a masochist in his old age?

“Coach,” Katherine’s voice breaks his thoughts as he turns to look at the young woman, “You need to stop looking at her and just say something already.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lance answers back as he glances down the row once more to see your head moving about again. He was sure that you had fallen asleep after being up so early, taking care of the girls, and eating such a heavy breakfast that consisted of greasy airport food. 

“You’re doing it again,” Katherine states in a sing-song sort of voice that makes Lance look at her like when she fails her landing, “Just tell her how you feel or bang her...since that’s what you always seem to do.”

Lance just glares at the teenager, as she simply shrugs and puts on her earbuds once more. Lance tries his hardest to not look at you for the rest of the flight, he fails a couple of times.

* * *

 

However, there are bigger fish to fry than his questionable feelings -- like the prelims and as he stands in front of the hotel room door with you at his side and who was going to sleep on the couch and on the bed. 

“So, this is what you do with the video gal, huh?” you question with a raised eyebrow as Lance rolls his eyes and  [ _ opens the door _ ](http://hotel-derek.houston-hotels-tx.com/en/#photo) . Your suspicious about what the girls had told you being true, but what Lance did in his personal time didn’t bother you --- he was a grown man after all-- though it did bother you that you had to deal with the aftermath of it all going sour like it did. 

Lance doesn’t answer. He had yelled enough at the poor staff already, but there wasn’t anything that could be done at the height of tourist season for the area and that other teams were staying at the same hotel as well. It wasn’t the best situation, but you were going to have to make due with it.

“Take the bed if you want,” Lance states without even looking at you, though his crossed but gentleman-like behavior bothers you for just a moment. That is quickly pushed out the window when you notice said man is taking out clothes and bath items. 

“What are you doing?” you can’t help but squeak out as he pauses for just a moment. 

“Airplanes are always disgusting,” he explains, “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Oh okay,” is all you manage to say, unsure and a little weirded out that Lance could be so comfortable around you already, but maybe he was used to strange woman being around him all the time, “I’ll go check on the girls then.” 

You get up and leave your things on the bed before rushing out. It wasn’t that you weren’t used to seeing the male body, but after so many years of putting off dating and being with others for your own personal endeavors -- it came as a bit of a shock how easily the situation changed. It might seem a bit prudish but you were going to give Lance his space during this time and you could only hope he did the same as well. 

Lance couldn’t help but smile and laugh at just a little at how quickly you ran out the room. 

_ This was going to be an interesting week _ , was all he thought to himself before checking out the bathroom.

* * *

> **@TUCKERGYM:** _TEAM GOLD AT IT AGAIN!_

[inserted is .gif of Lance, Katherine, and the rest of the team imitating the  [ Tucker money sign ](http://sebastianstan.ca/post/161435477975) ]

And it certainly had been an interesting week between Katherine getting first place and the rest of the team taking in some solid scores, you were starting to think that something had changed between you and one Lance Tucker. However, the question was why. 

Maybe, it was because you were the only other adult on this trip when dealing with bunch of teenage girls that were excited to be in a new city. It called for some “co parenting” from the two of and you were pretty sure that Lance didn’t usually let them go out, but that was a different story --just a bit-- with you around. It also might help that the two of you were watching the same videos over and over again in the hotel room for training purposes and you were making shorter videos and other stuff to post onto social media. 

Lance tended to curse at the screen a lot, as you shook your head though the creakiness of the old mattress when you moved about tended to bother the man in a different way. 

All in all, the week was uneventful between the two of you. Lance kept his distance from you when you were in the room together and while some part of you knew Lance Tucker wouldn’t give you a second glance.  _ He could do so much better, _ but here was a part of you that wanted to know the Tucker charm as you watched in from afar during the tournament talk and laugh with other women. 

That's the part that was slowly coming to the surface, which was scaring you the most out of all this.

* * *

However, it wasn’t due to Lance’s lack of trying that you didn’t see that he actually was trying to get a rise out of you. He didn’t wear his USA jacket in doors, biceps fully on display when you guys were alone in the hotel room. He made you sit with him from time to time to watch the videos, sometimes a little too close for comfort but still no reaction. He had even tried the towel around “his waist when coming out of the bathroom” trick, only to be thwarted by either you already being asleep or the girls dragging you away.  

Lance didn’t know if he was just out of his element, or if he had finally found a woman that didn’t see him at all in that way. It was killing him, so he goes to his last resort on the last day you are together -- the good old wine and dine ‘em scenario. 

“A dinner? Just the two of us?” you can’t help but question just a little, as he nods thinking deep down that you are going to turn him down, “What about the girls?” 

“They’ll be doing their own thing for once. I’m allowing it,” Lance explains as you stare at him in momentary shock. He was normally strict about the girls’ schedule from what you had seen, “But, think of this as a thank you...for going the extra mile for us.” 

“Sure, I’d love to,” you smile and it dazzles him.

* * *

The  [ Grotto Ristorante ](https://www.grottorestaurants.com/locations/houston.asp?no_redirect=true) was a cute little Italian place just across the street from the hotel and while you didn’t have any great attire for a sudden evening dinner, you tried your best with a black skirt and a fancier blouse that you had brought for professional purposes. However, the real shock came in seeing Lance, who always walked around like a USA Gymnastics billboard, dressed in a simple button up blue skirt ands slacks. 

You cursed at your momentary breathlessness as he reached out and said: “Let’s go.” 

Laughing and drinking over pizza has you sharing stories that you aren’t usually inclined to share though it does have Lance laughing once you tell him about the summer you spent in a cast due to a dare with some older kids and a pond you used to live near. You laugh at some of his riskier escapades, especially the one that had him running around naked after getting caught with one Hope Ann Gregory. 

Maybe you have one too many drinks at the restaurant, but the mood continues into your hotel room as you bat your eyelashes for him to order room service. You let out a giggle when he does and while you are usually more reserved than anything else when it comes to this sort of thing, the bright look in Lance’s eyes does something to you that you haven’t felt in a very long time.     

“Okay, tell me one thing I don’t know about you,” Lance asks, as he watches you sway back and forth for a moment, at awe at your tolerance level. 

“It might not look like it,” you start off as you lean in a bit more, “But, I teach ballet. I almost went professional a long time ago.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“That’s two questions,” you sigh out, somewhat more somber about this than anything else you had been talking about, “And because I got sick, I starved myself after I got injured. I needed to stay away from ballet a long time after that.” 

“Show me something,” he states almost as if he doesn’t believe it. You don’t blame him, but you do plan on proving him wrong.

“Okay, okay,” you laugh just a little trying to get into formation and do a simple pirouette. However, the alcohol in your system causes you to get dizzy, as you are close to falling -- Lance rushes to grab you causing you both to fumble onto the bed.

Lance, the more sober of the two of you, rolls over so that he’s on his side while you are laying your stomach. You let out a laugh and turn to meet his blue eyes that don’t seem to let go of you for an instant. 

“ _ Tada _ ,” you let out in breathless chuckle as the man just shakes his head.  

“You’re really something else, you know that?” he questions as you turn to face him. You blink in confusion for a moment, unsure of what Lance is trying to mean though it becomes a little clearer when he cups your cheek softly. 

“Always running around, talking to me like you own the place,” Lance keeps going. His own lips lose from the alcohol now, “But, you’ve been in my head for days, maybe since the first time you glared at me.” 

“Lance,” you question unsurely but instead of fighting back like you would with him, you match his stride and pull in his shirt just a bit. The look he was giving you was one that you hadn’t seen in a very long time and you were sure that in this state you weren’t in the mood to fight back for once. 

“ _ Just once, _ ” he breathes out, while staring at your lips and then your eyes. 

You’re sure somewhere in the back of your mind you are going to regret this later, but you’re too lost in the moment and the alcohol to ignore whatever is drawing you in as you hook your hand over his neck and bring him in. Soft plush lips met your own in a quick peck, but he is quick to bring you back in a longer kiss as Lance moans a little when you place your hands over his cheeks and move in closer to place your body over his the best you can. His hands end up placed on your hips, thumbs rubbing circles over where your skirt meets your blouse.  

**“Fuck,** ” he sighs out when you two finally break apart for air. His eyes are closed as he relishes in the feeling of finally having you this close, of being able to move into something else. However, that thought quickly disappears at the sound of soft snoring. 

Lance groans in utter frustration and obvious displeasure as he realizes that you have fallen asleep, as you move about for a moment—seeking out his warmth— before leaning into his shoulder and letting out a small sigh.

A sigh that did things to Lance and once again he has come to realize —  _ he was fucked. _

 


	8. a man in love? a woman...

The aftermath of the night before is quick for Lance. 

He doesn't get much sleep that night, as he ends up moving to the couch. He can hear your breathing more than usual and it annoys him. There is an empty feeling festering in his chest at what he had said to you before you had fallen asleep, at the kiss sending an electric current up and down his spine, and how he just didn’t want to leave you when you had leaned into his body. However, Lance knew better and that you waking up next to him would send you into a panic, thus leading him to go back to the couch. 

For the first time, Lance feels an uneasiness due to another body not being near his, but as he finally starts to close his eyes due to the alcohol finally settling in as Lance wishes that that body was yours. 

He falls into an uneasy sleep for a few hours. Later on, he hears you when you wake up --groaning and mumbling to yourself-- but as you two come to the end of all this, you say nothing about the subject of that dinner and he doesn’t either. 

He curses a lot in the following days as you don’t seem to stop haunting his thoughts and dreams.

More of the aftermath comes a few days afterward, it’s Wednesday once more and Lance goes over to the Starbucks to get his usual cheat day drink. There is a step to his walk because he knows he is going to see you once more. You had left in a hurry once you had gotten back to the city and Lance had to bring all the girls back home that weren’t being picked up by their parents. And while you had kept up with the barrage of social media posts following their wins, you didn’t reach out to Lance at all and while that was normal, he felt like there should have been more. 

_ There should be more, he wanted more.  _

It was a thought that bore into him constantly, but he didn’t really know how to go about it all. Hell, he didn’t even know if you even remembered the kiss like he vaguely did -- but, he knew that something was there and he wanted to solidify whatever  _ that _ was.   

“Welcome,” Micah declares with a bright smile as Lance comes in. Blue eyes glance over to the barista area only to find that there is a young man instead, who gives him a shy, awkward smile. 

Lance feels the air leave him all at once, it’s like Serena all over again but worse, as he turns heel and leaves without another word. The young man looks at Micah who simply shrugs and shakes her head.

* * *

Lance tries his hardest not to show his irritation when you don’t show up that Saturday afternoon, but everyone can see that he is yelling a bit more and that his fuse is shorter than usual as the day moves on without you. 

All the older girls share looks of annoyance between each other, though genuinely wondering where you could be. However, they all have the same thought running through their heads. 

_ What was so special about you? What happened to the hairdresser and the video girl?  _

Which quickly turned into,  _ could he be feeling something more? _

It was a scary thought for all of them,  but the proof was in the pudding and as a group, they started talking among themselves about it.

* * *

Truth be told though you weren’t trying to intentionally avoid Lance in the aftermath of the gymnastics meet, life just came at you hard after you got back home. There were work and papers that you needed to catch up on, you even got a little sick on a Wednesday that you were supposed to go back to your regular Starbucks shift. However, you didn’t feel the need to contact the man --  **why should you?**

The answer comes back to you in bits and pieces: 

_ “Always running around, talking to me like you own the place,” Lance keeps going. His own lips lose from the alcohol now, “But, you’ve been in my head for days, maybe since the first time you glared at me.”  _

_ “Just once.”  _

You frown at the memory and maybe that’s why you were avoiding him deep down as you decided to spend the rest of the day in the ballet studio that you had missed in your time away. Your classes had ended and you spent most of your time roaming around, lost in memories and wild thoughts of what shouldn’t be when you hear your name being called out. 

“Miss! Miss!” you turn to see a young Claire running in your direction with a large smile on her face as you get down to her level and welcome her into your arms. And while she wasn’t the best in your class, she was certainly becoming one of the few that grabbed your attention the most. 

You give her mother a brief smile, but Claire with her big, blue eyes grabs your attention once more as she declares with a smile. 

“Do you wanna come over and have dinner with us?”

You pause, unsure of what to say though you are sure of what she is trying to do (some girl always thought you were a good match for her older brother or single father but nothing ever made it through besides idle thought), you had never gone that far before. You give her a soft smile and laugh.

“Can I think about it?” 

Surely, this could be so much better than having Lance Tucker --an impossible dream-- stuck in your head all day. 


	9. thoughts and ideas.

> **@Tucker Gym:** _ Still coming off of out most recent win! Who wants a Q&A will these lovely girls? _

“When are they gonna start asking questions?” 

Katherine can’t help but question, as you show her and the rest of the girls that there are some people who already are, though there are also those that have their questions directed at Lance and some aren’t for young eyes. You scroll past them anyways before showing them that the Q&A is planned for the end of the month on Sunday -- it was going to be your biggest project thus far. 

And while Lance hadn’t been the keenest person on the idea you and the girls were able to get him to agree as long as he decided what questions got to get answered. It was annoying for the girls, but you understood why since there were still aspects of his less than stellar past that could hurt them, especially in the dark recess of the internet and they didn’t need that kind of pressure on them for now. So you kept on going on about how this was going to go, clearly not paying attention --like the girls-- on how a certain man kept glancing at you. 

For all that they had heard of the legendary Lance Tucker, it was surprising to see him so meek and far away from his prey. They decide to ask you a few questions to test the playing field out instead.

> _ Miss, what do you plan on doing this weekend?  _
> 
> _ We’re having a celebration for our wins. You should join us.  _
> 
> _ Miss, miss, do you have a boyfriend? _

Blue eyes end up watching you like a hawk during your own Q&A as the girls look back and try to hold back their own giggles, though you surprise everyone with your own response. 

“I don’t think I can make it,” you state without a care in the world, “But, I’m being set up with one of my student’s uncles, so we'll see where that goes.” 

You shrug it off as some of the girls gasp at your announcement before some others go on about asking if you know anything about him. However, before you can say anything  -- Lance’s voice booms throughout the gym as he yells at everyone to get back to practicing before huffing angrily into his office, not to be seen again until later in the day when you are finally gone. 

For now, you end up looking at him in annoyance and confusion as Katherine shakes her head.  

* * *

> _ “Sure, Claire. I would be delighted to have dinner you.”  _

You really aren’t sure why you agree to it the first week after Claire asks you if you want to have dinner with her, while subtly adding that her favorite (nameless because you didn’t bother asking anything else) uncle is going to be there as well.  She’s a sweet girl with obviously a big imagination to think of you so fondly and  _ “that you would be so perfect _ ” for the man. However, your thoughts had been claimed by someone else since you had come back home, though filled mostly with confusion and anger. 

_ Why did he do what he did? Was he playing with you? _

Lance had to be playing with you, was all you could agree on when thinking of it over and over again. He had never shown the least bit of interest of you aside from fighting you and making sure everything went his way. There’s wasn’t anything else to your relationship with Lance Tucker besides that. Then, why-- 

> _ “Always running around, talking to me like you own the place,” Lance keeps going. His own lips lose from the alcohol now, “But, you’ve been in my head for days, maybe since the first time you glared at me.”  _
> 
> _ “Just once.”  _

“Orange Mango Smoothie,” Micah calls out, dragging you out of your internal turmoil, “Orange Mango Smoothie for Lance.”

You pause and turn to glance at the store --slightly empty after the lunch rush-- to see a familiar back sitting near the back of the store. Micah gives you a curious look as she watches you shake your head before working on the drink. She notices that you are working a bit slower than before, as you keep your eyes on the ground when calling his order.

“Thanks,” is all he says as he takes his drink and goes -- no fight or teasing between the two of you as Micah’s eyes widen even more in confusion. 

_ “What the hell was that?” _

Micah frowns as you shake your head, unsure of what could be going on with man though completely understanding that he really didn’t want anything to do with you if you weren't drunk and willing. You feel the urge to cry for a brief moment before the door chimes once more and a new customer comes in.

Goodness, did you hate Wednesdays.

* * *

> _ “Uncle, can you come spend dinner with us?” _

Lance knows that his adorable niece is up to no-good when she looks at him with those bright blue eyes sparkling, much like he used to do when he wanted to pull a prank or do something meaningful in his younger days. However, he knew Claire wasn’t exactly like him -- this was about something else though he didn’t know exactly what. 

“Her ballet teacher is going to be here,” the older Tucker sibling finally admits as she stirs the pot filled with pasta, as Lance leans into the entrance of the kitchen not too far away. A frown on his face as he crosses his arms over his chest in annoyance, “Claire just wants you to meet her.”

He tries to ignore the fact that you’re a ballet teacher too, before remarking: “She’s a little die-hard with her matchmaking, huh?”

“A Tucker trait through and through,” Norma laughs at her daughter’s ambitious streak before taking the rest of the meal out of the oven. Richard comes in with a laughing Claire and greets Lance before kissing his wife on the cheek and while the two men didn’t get along very often --Richard was high end and stuffy-- Lance could tell he cared about his little family. 

_ Family.  _

It was too much of an odd thought, even with everything that had happened once before, for Lance Tucker.  

* * *

It’s a quarter to seven when Norma tells Lance to run and get some last minute details that she had “forgotten” to pick up. It was a few minutes after that when you park your vehicle two houses down from Claire’s home. You’re dressed in fancy slacks, a shirt, and cardigan since the weather was giving a light breeze. 

You had made a quick dessert, which was a big lie, as you took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell, You hear Claire shouting before a stronger voice tells her to calm down, but it’s Norma that opens the door. Her hazel colored eyes sparkle as she greets you before bringing you inside. You hear Claire scream in the back that she’s so happy you’re here before she launches herself at you. 

“Claire,” her mother explains, as she grabs your leg with a giggle escaping her mouth. You can’t help but notice that she is wearing a grey tutu-like skirt with a pretty blue blouse. You smile and pat the top of her head. 

There are so many things that Norma wants to tell you -- warn you that her brother isn’t the best man, that he has a reputation that follows him due to the past but he tries his best. Though she isn’t too sure how this might all go because Norma is aware of the fact that all evening Lance’s head had been somewhere else, possibly someone else and you didn’t need that, even if Claire would pout and complain later on.

However, she doesn't get time for any of that as Claire pulls you into the living room to show you how she has been practicing her ballet moves, as she moves back into the dining room area to finish setting up.

Norma doesn’t get to see you laughing and congratulating her on a job well done in her practice, as she keeps dancing to her own beat. Neither of the two of you notices a certain man open the door and walk with some bags and his heart fluttering --surely he must be hallucinating-- at the sound of a certain voice until he turns the corner and into the living room area. 

Neither of the two of you notices Claire stopping and giving you a curious look as you finally see the other as if fate is playing a cruel joke on you. 

_ “You.”  _

The both of you echo, not trusting you own voice, as Richard comes in and states that dinner is ready. And it certainly had been, but not in the way either of you were expecting. 


	10. confessions and something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @stanclub for inadvertently inspiriting this with her earlier writing challenge and @polaroid-idiocity for her support. Thank you for taking time to read this story all the way to the end! And yes, there will be an epilogue, hopefully out soon. 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated.

“And the most important question,” Katherine and the rest of the girls' giggles while scrolling down the questions, “ **Is Coach Tucker dating someone, or even interested in that sort of thing** ?”

The iPad is aimed in his direction, as blue eyes move for a second to meet with someone else’s, though she just shakes her head and moves away. The girls look at him with expectant eyes and Lance Tucker can’t help but chuckle.

* * *

“What?” Lance can’t help but start as a rueful smile blooms onto his face, though he was just as surprised and nervous as hell as you were. He was just better at hiding it in performance than you were, “ _ Cat got your tongue _ ?” 

All you do is frown as Lance takes the seat across from you with Norma sitting next to him. Claire is sitting on your side next to her father, as you can’t help but feel that someone is watching you like a hawk as you put the napkin off your lap and proceed to get something from each dish set in front of you while helping the little girl as well. You had been expecting someone of a similar demeanor to Claire’s father, not the one person you had been inadvertently avoiding this entire time --Lance had always bothered you in some way, but now you were sure he was out to mock you. 

I mean, why else would he be here? The man didn’t seem to do the dating scene, you were sure that he had been ready to wine and dine whoever he had met for a quick lay, regardless of what they were to little Claire. Outside himself, his gym, and a few people you doubted Lance cared for anything else -- much less you.

In all your inner turmoil, you didn’t notice the lovestruck look the man was giving you, as you helped Claire cut her chicken nuggets into smaller pieces so she could count them before eating them. Everyone was eating their meals in silence, as Claire then looked at her mom confused as to why this wasn’t working.

“So,” Norma draws out, “What do you do besides teach ballet?”

Lance already knew how hard you worked, but at the confused look of having to talk about yourself, he can’t help but chuckle. You take that laughter in a different way though. You’re sure that you aren’t normally this insecure, but Lance and all the overthinking you had done at this point made you feel all sorts of inadequate. 

“I’m getting my masters in public relations,” you start off while staring at your food, “I teach ballet on the weekends, work at a Starbucks, and am doing my internship when I can.”  

_ “Wow,” _ Norma sounds out, “That sounds like a lot on your plate. How do you manage?”

You blink in confusion, not understanding the question though it was something Lance often wondered about as well, not that he ever told you.

“I don’t know,” you answer with an awkward laugh, “I guess, I don’t have much time for a social life or annoying things like love and dating.”

The room silences like crickets are the only things in the air.  

Lance frowns as Norma glances at him for a moment, not quite understanding the shift in her brother’s personality but he can feel it. Claire is playing with her green beans, as Richard tries to stop her, obviously trying to ignore whatever might be going on between the two of you. 

“And why would you say that,” Lance’s question spills before he can stop to think, as everyone turns to look at him with a variety of emotions, “Maybe, you’re just not trying hard enough.

“Maybe,” you let out mournfully, as Lance can’t help but wonder just what exactly had made you feel such a way about the world, before taking a bite out of your salad, “There isn’t that strong worth fighting for.”

Lance gets up and excuses himself, as you keep looking at your plate a bit unsure of what had just happened. Norma gives you a shrug and exasperated look on her face before going back to eating her own meal, and you couldn’t help but wonder how often she bothered with setting up Lance -- it seemed like he had never dated, to begin with, even less with the Townsend scandal.    

Why would he want to do anything with that now? Why with you of all people? 

_ “Just once.” _

You were sure he meant it in an “only once” sort of way, and you planned on keeping it that way.  

* * *

Lance really doesn’t say a word to you after that, as Claire decides to take you to her room and show you around the house. The former Olympic gymnast sits on the couch, watching you and his favorite niece move from room to room while nursing a drink. Richard and Norma sitting on the larger couch at his right, unsure of why the man is suddenly so dark and brooding. 

“Lance,” his sister questions as he hears you and Claire laugh, sending a chill down his spine in memory, “Are you all right?” 

_ She laughs like that with the girls,  _ Lance thinks bitterly. You had laughed like that with him only once and it had sent his heart racing, but outside of the drinking there really wasn’t anything connecting you and him. You had been avoiding him like the plague after your kiss, had been willing to go out with someone else after what had happened between the two of you, even if it turned out to be him at the end as well.

It was a little funny, but your attitude had been more infuriating than anything else. Lance wasn’t sure what he would do if you just kept pushing back. 

_ Was it really all worth it? _

“I’m fine, sis,” he gives her a toothy smile and Norma does her best to believe him.

* * *

It’s close to nine when you finally decide that it’s time to go, especially since it’s close to Claire’s bedtime. You thank them all for the lovely time, as to get to her level and give her one last big hug. Lance had planned on staying a while longer and soaking in his misery once more, but blue eyes look his way and he knows that he is done for.

“You should walk her to her car,” Claire lets out in a yawn as Norma tries to stop her. It doesn’t work out maybe the little girl just doesn’t read the air in the room, “Just to say goodnight.” 

You want to stop and say that you don’t need help getting back to your car, but Lance steps in with that glorious smile, “That’s a great idea, peanut. Wouldn’t want anything happening to your ballet teacher.” 

Claire grins at Lance and then at you, making you realize that you really can’t say no. Norma ends up giving you a to-go plate of extra food and sends you on your way with a silent Lance Tucker, which can’t be a good thing. He doesn’t say anything a good ten steps in and you’re thinking you’re in the clear, that he got tired and won’t bother with whatever is going on between you anymore. You speak too soon when you hear his voice. 

“--Then, why did you come?” you don’t hear the first part of the question, as you look straight ahead for a moment. However, Lance has always been one to command whatever area he was in as he steps in front of you and you stop walking. 

“Because I wanted to forget,” you state, throwing him a bone as you sidestep and continue walking towards your car. 

“Forget what?” you can hear his voice behind you and you choose to ignore this question. 

“This is my car,” you state, pointing at the vehicle with a weary smile, “Thank you and good night, Lance.”

“ _ Forget what? _ ” Lance yells as he comes up to stand in front of the driver’s door. He puffs out like a child throwing a tantrum, as you stand there waiting for him to continue his stupid little speech. 

“You want to know why I came,” Lance explains softer than before as your eyes widen, “So maybe, I could forget that stupid smile I see every weekend, that laugh that always seems to bubble whenever someone is talking with the girls. So, I could maybe stop thinking about that stupid drunken kiss and those little noises that just _ frustrate me  _ to no ends.”

You aren’t sure what to say as he keeps going, filter completely gone. 

“You’re the only thing in my fuckin’ head all damn day,” Lance lets out miserably, “But, when you blatantly ignore me, it just kills me.” 

**“Shut up** ,” you seethe out as Lance asks you to repeat it again. Now, that you’re paying attention to him after weeks and weeks of ignoring him, he’s just going to keep riling you up, “ _ Shut up!  _ You don’t want me.”

“I’m pretty sure I do,” Lance lets out in a weary attempt of a laugh, unsure of what to do to make you believe him. 

“No,” you breathe back in an almost heartbroken way as you push him back, “You don’t want me. You just want the chase, the conquest _ and then what _ ? Just throw me away when you’re done having your fuckin’ fun.” 

“I---”

“Lance Tucker doesn’t date,” you let out hoarsely with tears ready to spill from your eyes, “Lance Tucker fucks and leaves, just like any other man.”

Lance stands there shocked for a moment, but both of you know that you aren’t lying instead you ask him to move and he does so numbly, as you fight with your bag and the tears gathering in the corners of your eyes to open the damn door and leave. You don’t say anything else as you shut the door and proceed to drive off. 

Lance stands there a good while even after you’re gone before getting into his own car.

* * *

 

“I do.”

It’s all Lance says before the feed goes off and the girls are screaming, asking a million questions. Blue eyes go back to glancing at where you were standing, but you had already moved away having decided to start putting the equipment away instead.

* * *

In the two weeks since that disastrous dinner date, you had slowly distanced yourself even more from Lance Tucker. After the Q&A, you had put in your resignation with Madison, stating that the improved numbers within the social media needed to now be tracked by someone who was full-time staff, not just someone who came in on the weekends. 

It was basically your two weeks notice, but you weren’t sure how Lance had taken it -- you hadn’t asked. You had also asked for a transfer in days at Starbucks, anything but Wednesdays, though that took a little longer to happen depending on other people’s schedules. 

It was the coward’s way out, but you were okay with that. It was better than getting hurt than coming up with false delusions whenever you saw him. You were sure that he would find someone else eventually, there was always another video girl waiting in the wings. 

You just didn’t know that Lance Tucker was getting tired of that as well and he was going to do something about it.   

* * *

_ “What do you mean she’s leaving?” Katherine exclaims for the rest of the girls as Lance explains that you had turned in your tw0-weeks notice. Some are frowning and some are just livid. _

_ “Her time with us is coming to an end, that’s all,” Lance explains as his star pupil shakes her head. _

_ “And you’re just gonna let her leave like that,” she fires back, “Without a fight, without telling her that you’re obviously feeling something for her.” _

_ “Girls, I-- _ **_what_ ** _?”  _

_ “We’re not blind, Coach,” Katherine answers back as most of the girls nod, “We’ve seen you guys make googly eyes at each other all the time.” _

_ Lance stays silent, as she huffs a breath of air: “So what are you going to do about it?”  _

_ Lance Tucker isn’t sure when he became so whipped, but he knew that hi _ s  _ students were right and that he had to do something about the situation before he regretted it. _

* * *

He decides to do so on the last Wednesday that you are supposed to be working at Starbucks, Micah had told him you had changed your schedule and while she didn’t know exactly what was going on -- she could sense the sexual tension in the air since the last time he had shown up. You were showing the new guy how to take inventory when he had shown up -- Lance Tucker and the girls with very large bouquets of flowers.  

Micah blinks at the sight before he grins at her: “I would like to order one very frustrating barista up and center, please.” 

She grins and tells them all to wait. The girls take a while to look around, only just now realizing that you worked here, though it wasn’t usually when they came in. They all looked at each other in anticipation and silently vowing to make your life a living hell if you didn’t come back. 

“Hello.  _ I- _ -” you freeze when you see all of them there, a lost look in your eyes over the fact that the girls were glaring at you, you since had kept them in the dark about everything until Lance had told them everything, well almost everything. 

“What are you guys doing here?” you manage to find your voice without breaking, as you try to ignore the soft look in Lance’s eyes. 

He had realized a lot of things since talking with the girls. 

“You can’t honestly think you could leave without telling us,” Katherine frowns as all the girls agree in unison, as your eyes widen. You really hadn’t told them anything because you were afraid of how they were going to react, you just didn’t expect them to go this far. 

“Even if you aren’t our social media person anymore,” Katherine goes on, “I hope you keep visiting us. We all really like you there, even---”

Katherine turns around to look at Lance, as you do as well. You let out a sigh before taking all the flowers they are giving you. You smile and try not to cry, as you hear Lance softly call out to them to order something for themselves, as he pulls you to where he always sits to wait for his order -- how ironic that this is the first place where you started to annoy him and now he couldn’t let you go. 

“Before you say anything,” Lance starts off, “I didn’t put them up to this. I told them about you leaving and they went all off on their own.”

You look at the bouquet in your hands and let out a tired sigh, “I know that you aren’t that type of person.”

“Then you can see it, right?” Lance asks, as blue eyes stare straight in yours and you know what he means. 

The words you had spoken in the aftermath of the dinner had swirled in your mind for a long time afterward because while you knew that Lance was always going to be Lance Tucker -- he was a completely different person than the one you had researched all those months ago. He cared about his students and his family. Yes, he was still harsh and mean around the edges, but it came with the life he lived and what he was trying to make up for it for the rest of his days. 

He was different and people changed all the time, but whatever he felt and had told you back at dinner felt like the god honest truth -- you just had to give him a chance to show you that you were either wrong or right. Yes, it was about your past traumas, but Lance wasn’t going to know anything about them and how you felt if you didn’t open up...even just a little. 

You had to be willing to get hurt and even if Lance did break your heart, it has been an experience -- a thing that you had denied yourself for a long time because of work and school. It wasn’t the proper way to live, and maybe Lance and the girls were trying to show you that. 

You look at the flowers all varying sizes and colors and then back at those blue eyes before you speak in a whisper: “One date.”

“What?”

“I am offering to go on one date with you, Lance Tucker,” you state as his eyes widen, “We can see how it goes from there.”

Confusion blooms onto his face for a second before a grin overtakes. He grabs you by the waist and whoops as he has just won the Gold all over again, as you just shake your head with laughter and not really caring who might be watching. He grabs your cheek and drags you into a quick kiss, crushing the flowers just a bit before moving away. A grin on his face, when you blink at the shortness of it all.  

“You know, maybe Claire was right about us,” Lance laughs as he leans in a little.

“I’m thinking everyone was except for us,” you let out with a pout, as you are sure that everyone in the front of the store is watching your little display in some type of smug glee. 

“Guess we gotta live to their expectations, huh?” Lance teases, “Go for the gold.”

“That was a horrible joke,” is all you manage to say before he grabs you by the waist once more and pulls you in for another, much longer kisses -- a much sweeter one than the first one you had shared. 

The girls rejoice and Micah shakes her head before getting started on their orders. And while you weren’t sure what the future had for you -- for now you could say that Wednesdays were certainly your favorite day of the week. 

You were sure that Lance would agree as well. 

 


	11. epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please enjoy this little epilogue.

_ A few years down the line. _

_ “Are you really not going to be able to make it on time?” Norma asks with an undercurrent of shock in her voice. She was used to Lance missing out on things due to his busy schedule, but this wasn’t about her or Claire. _

_ “The snow is shutting down the whole damn airport,” Lance answers back,  though clearly frustrated and helpless about the whole situation, “I know she’ll understand, always does.”  _

_ Norma swears she’s never heard her younger brother so breathless and lovestruck before in her life, as she shakes her head: “I’m sure she will.” _

_ “Always does.” _

* * *

“Perfect,” Micah can’t help but remark as she looks at her handy work before placing a mirror in front of you to look at yourself. Soft and clear colors and paints were placed along the cheeks and accents of your face to give you a snowy look -- the perfect visage for the Sugar Plum Fairy. 

“It’s great,” you answer back with a smile, “You’ve really outdone yourself this time.” 

Micah grins before running a hand through her now blue hair. Since your time at Starbucks together and telling Micah everything that had happened between you and Lance, the young woman had become a close friend. You help each other in different ways and eventually ended up renting a large apartment between the two of you closer to your school --before you had graduated-- that doubled as Micah’s place for her budding makeup business. 

“All right,” she smiles before putting some things back into her makeup kit, “I am going to check up on the rest of the girls. But let me know if you need anything.” 

You nod, trying to seem calm and without a trouble in the world but Micah is observant enough to notice that you quickly glance at your phone, which had been dark this entire time. She pats your shoulder as you give her a slightly embittered smile.

“I’m sure he’ll make it in time,” Micah, always the optimist for the two of you, grins before exiting.

“I hope so,” is the only thing you can manage to say before Micah leaves the room. 

You look at your painted self in the mirror and feel almost self-conscious to the point that you feel sick, though that might be a different problem altogether. 

For now, you were going to worry about being the best Sugar Plum Fairy you could be even if your boyfriend wasn’t going to be there.

* * *

_ “Come on, Coach!” _ the girls yell, as they race down the pavement -- it was a  miracle that they weren’t getting snow this time of year, if not they wouldn’t be risking their bodies after such a hard tournament. However, the Tucker Gym Girls were slowly becoming a threat to more established training camps and coaches. 

“Hush,” their coach --slightly older looking with more gray on his hair and beard than before-- runs behind them with a bouquet of flowers for  a certain someone, “Keep running!”

They all laugh but keep following his instructions. Lance Tucker is rushed and running on very little sleep, but he is trying to make a certain production on time. Though, nobody ever told him that the Sugar Plum Fairy doesn’t show up until the second part of the ballet. 

But, the girls and some others could tell he was utterly in love.

* * *

You’re too engrossed in your own part, spinning and dancing with your knight, to notice whether Lance had made it on time. You were normally very considerate and understanding to where his time was spent -- he was a world-class coach after all and after Katherine had won silver some time ago, his gym was only catching even more fire within the gymnastics world. You were busy yourself with being a full-time social media consultant and part-time ballet teacher. 

You had only considered playing the Sugar Plum Fairy after the last girl was unable due to health issues, the girls wouldn’t stop asking but Lance had been the real nail on the coffin. 

> _ “You’ve see me in my element all the time, babe,” he had said with his arm around your waist as you walked the streets after an impromptu date, “Give me the honor to do so too.” _
> 
> _ “You’re still in shape for your sport,” you huff out in annoyance, knowing you weren’t that young or had the same issues as before, “I’m not…” _
> 
> _ “Don’t you even start,” Lance reprimands you in a soft but steady voice. It had taken a long time, but he now understood your fears when it first came to dating him and he wasn’t above reminding you that you weren’t the same person as the younger you was once -- he certainly wasn’t.  _
> 
> _ “I’ll think about,” is all you manage to get out on the subject, as Lance noods in agreement before placing a kiss on your head.  _

And now, you were here and while you weren’t sure if Lance was here or not -- you kept spinning to that all too familiar tune.

* * *

It’s a couple of minutes after the standing ovations that you are finally able to go backstage. You are tired but proud, though a little disappointed in the end that you couldn’t see Lance in the crowd. You understood that he had not to control over the weather or airplanes, but after he had encouraged you to do this in the first place and you weren’t sure if you were ever going to do so again. 

But, it was okay -- at least you had Norma and Claire, who had played her own part so well. 

It was time to head home and--” Babe.”

You hear a familiar voice coming from the staircase, as you turn around to see a whole group waiting for you -- the girls, Micah, Claire, and her parents, and in the center of it all...like always.

“Lance,” you breathe out as he smiles and places a colorful bouquet that he clearly got from the airport in front of you, “You made it?”

He laughs at your exclamation, “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, darlin’.” 

You let out a breathless giggle before kissing him on the cheek, but before you can pull away he pulls you back in and places a sweet kiss on your lips. 

The girls groan in annoyance over something that they have to see every weekend you guys are together, but among them, a now 11-year-old Claire smiles over how right she was.  


End file.
